Switch-stand-lever lock



June 10 1924e 1,497,359 A. M. CORNELL SWITCH STAND LEVER LOCK FiledMarch 1 4 1924 2 Shets-Sheet l up? msllllllllflii '1 10 1% mi 5'"""IIIII June 10,- 1924. 1,497,359

A. M. CORNELL SWITCH STAND LEVER LOCK Filed March 14 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet2 Patented June 10, 1924. v

UNITED STATES 1,497,359 ATENT OFFICE.

.AR'IHUR llI. CORNELL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0BETTIBONE-MULLIKEN COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORKv SWITGHSTAND-LEVEELoon.

Application filed March. 14, 1924. Serial No. 699,378.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR M. CoRNELL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Switch-Stand-Lever Locks, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in the class of devices providedon railway switch-stands for locking the operating lever in its pendentposition, wherein it hangs through a notch in the stand-table forretaining the switch in its thrown position.

The primary object of my improvement is to provide means of simple buthighly effective construction for automatically and releasably lockingthe lever, when turned on its fulcrum at the end of a throw to hangthrough a table-notch, and thus prevent it from being accidentallydisplaced from its switch-retaining position, as by jarring of a trainpassing through the switch, and thus producing faulty setting thereof.

In the accompanying drawings- Figure 1 is a broken view showing, inperspective, the upper portion of a switchstand provided with myimprovement;

Figure 2 is a section on line 2-2, Fig. 1;

Figure 3 is a section on line 33, Fig. 2, showing the gravity-latch inits lever-locking engagement;

Figure 4 is a similar viewshowing the gravity-latch turned to releasethe lever;

Figure 5 is a section on line 55, Fig. 2, and

Figure 6 is a partly broken and perspective view of the lever andgravity-latch in disassembled relation.

The switch-stand A represented in the drawings is of known construction,and only enough thereof is illustrated to enable my improvement anditsco-operation with the stand to be readily understood from the followingdescription.

The table 7, provided with the usual 1ever-' receiving notches 8 andthrough which the rotatable target-shaft 9, or spindle passes, issurmounted by the head 10 secured to the rotatable shaft and between thejaws 11 of which the throw-lever 12 is fulcrumed at 12 For my purpose Iform an extension 10 on the head 10 to project laterally therefrom atright angles to the direction of throw of the lever 12, which isprovided in its shorter end with a notch 12 In the housing is journaledthrough its head a latch 13, shown at 1 1 to be weighted to cause it totend to assume by gravity the leverlocking position represented in Fig.3, wherein the nose-portion 13 of the head enters the notch 12 in thelever-end when the lever is in thrown position and depending through atable-notch 8. The latch thus obstructs raising of the lever on itsfulcrum and locks it against accidental displacement.

For enabling the lever 12 tobe raised for throwing, the operator tiltsthe latch by its depending handle-portion to the position represented inFig. 4," whereby the latchhead is withdrawn from the lever-notch 12,thus releasing the lever; and since in turning the lever the notchtherein is brought out of registration with the latch-head, the latteris obstructed against re-entering the lever-notch until the throw of thelever is completed and it is introduced into the proper table-notch inits depending position, wherein the notch 12 again registers with thelatch-head and permits the latch to resume the position represented inFig. 3 with its nose in looking engagement wit th lever.

The hole shown at 15 in the handle of the gravity-latch is rovided toreceive the hasp of a padlock (not shown), if desired for lockingthelatch against unauthorized disengagement thereof with the operatinglever.

I realize that considerabl variation is possible in the details ofconstruction herein shown and described, and I do not intend to belimitedthereto except as pointed out in the appended claims, in which itis my intention to claim all the novelty inherent in my invention asbroadly as permissible bythe state of the art.

I claim:

1. In combination with a switch-stand having a lever-retaining table anda head secured to the rotatable target-shaft, a throw-lever fulcrumed onsaid head and provided with a notch, and a gravity-latch journaled towork at right-angles to the lever-fulcrum and comprising a handleterminating in a head in position to automatically and releasably engagesaid levernotch when registering with said latch.

2. In combination with a switch-stand having a lever-retaining table anda head secured to the rotatable target-shaft, a throw-lever fulcrumed onsaid head and having a notch in its shorter end, and a 5 gravity-latchon a journal extending at right-angles t0 the lever-fulcrum, said latchcomprising a handle terminatin in a head in position to automatically anreleasably engage said lever-notch when registering 10 with saidlatch-head.

3. In combinationwith a switch-stand v and journaled in said housing togravitally and releasably engage the latch-head with said lever-notchwhen registering therewith.

ARTHUR M. CORNELL.

